Only The Good Die Young
by allthingspuckleberryandfaberry
Summary: Quinn is upset about her break-up with Sam, and Rachel decides to take her for the week to have some fun.  She is still reserved, but with the help of Rachel, can she learn to open her mind about both having fun and about her feelings for the brunette?
1. Chapter 1

**Only The Good Die Young**

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah, I know. I don't own them. Sue me. Well, don't actually sue me. But you get the point.**

**Summary: Post-Comeback, Pre-BIOTA. AU starting at the latter episode. Quinn is down in the dumps about her break-up with Sam, and Rachel decides to take her for the week to have some fun. Of course, Quinn is still a pretty reserved Catholic, but with the help of Rachel, can she learn to open her mind—not only about loosening up and having fun—but also about her sexuality? Rated T because I feel it should be. Rating might go up to M in later chapters, but we'll see.**

**A/N: So, I got the idea for this fic awhile ago, but I didn't actually have the title until today when I was listening to Billy Joel's "Only The Good Die Young". Of course, it's about a carefree guy trying to get a Catholic girl to loosen up, in more ways than one, if you know what I mean. And because I didn't feel like writing a Quick story, and because with Puckleberry Rachel is Jewish, and finally because I love Faberry, this story was born. I've never written for Quinn's character, or for Faberry, however, so please go easy on me. Yeah, Rachel should be easy, but I hope that I write Quinn well enough.**

**Reviews are love :D**

~.~

Rachel stared at Quinn Fabray as she silently stood in the middle of the hallway. She was all alone, as Sam had just left her, and it appeared that she was crying. And it was an interesting day when the former cheerleader was crying, since she was HBIC of McKinley. That of course meant that she _made_ people cry; she didn't actually cry herself. Not that anyone usually saw, anyway.

Curiosity got the best of her, and Rachel found herself moving down the hallway to where the blonde stood, wincing as she lightly tapped her on the shoulder. When Quinn turned around, the brunette could see that she was a mess—her eyes were puffy and red, and her cheeks were flushed and tear-stained.

The diva had never seen Quinn like this before. Well, except for maybe once or twice from afar, but never anything like this. She was slightly taken aback, and shock evaded her as she simply stood there, staring.

"Well?" Quinn snapped, bringing Rachel out of her trance. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. The blonde began tapping her foot, obviously annoyed. She decided to try again.

"What do you _want_, Manhands?"

This time, Rachel actually managed to speak. "I-I-um, well, I sort of saw you from afar, and-well, I was wondering if-if you might want to-if you might want to t-talk to me about it."

Quinn let out a bitter laugh and smirked in a sadistic manner. "Really, Berry? You _honestly_ think that I'm going to sit with the school outcast and discuss _my own_ problems? That's just sad, and quite frankly, I don't have time for that anyway."

"Well, your schedule should be a lot more cleared up, now that Sam dumped you," Rachel stated bluntly. Almost immediately, anger flashed in the blonde's eyes.

"Manhands, that is none of your business, and it never will be. And if you must know, with Cheerio's and-and Glee club, and such things like that, I have no time for anything regarding you."

Rachel laughed slightly. "Quinn, you and I both know that a) you quit Cheerio's a few weeks ago, and b) Glee club is most certainly _not_ your life. I don't see why you can't just tell me what happened. It's not like I'm going to ridicule you."

Sighing, Quinn said, "Rachel, you already know what happened: Sam dumped me. I don't need to break it down further for you. Now, would you move? I'm going to be late for 8th period."

As she pushed the brunette out of her path and walked away, Rachel sucked in a breath. "Fine, Quinn, you can go. But just know that I'll be waiting if you ever want to talk." With that, she turned and walked the other way, slightly saddened at the blonde's rejection, and walked to 8th period.

~.~

A sharp knocking on Rachel's windowsill jolted her from sleep. Looking at the clock, she saw that it was 2:30 in the morning. She rubbed her eyes, turned on the light, and half-angrily, half-sleepily walked to the window. When she pulled it open, she opened her mouth to rudely explain that whoever the knocker was, they were interrupting her peaceful sleep. That is, until she saw Quinn, huddled on the roof with spots of rain adorning her dress, and she decided to let her in.

"Quinn? What in the world are you doing here? It's two-thirty in the morning!" Rachel hissed as she let the soaked blonde girl in, helping her over the windowpane.

Immediately the former cheerleader began to sob as she sat down on the brunette's bed. The latter dismissed the fact that the bedspread was being ruined and sat down with her. "Quinn, what's wrong?" she asked, her tone soft.

Quinn shook her head. "I-I thought about what you said earlier, you know, about being here if I decided I wanted to talk? Well, I want to talk," she finished determinedly.

"Alright then, Quinn, go ahead and talk to me," Rachel said. "I'm right here. You can say anything you want, and I won't talk unless you want me to."

The blonde sighed as she began to basically pour everything in the contents of her brain and heart out to Rachel. Literally. She talked about Finn, she talked about Sam, she talked about Santana, and she even talked about Rachel a little bit. Throughout the whole thing, the diva didn't say a word; she just listened, nodding when it was necessary and letting Quinn cry on her shoulder when she got a little too emotional about everything. It was about four in the morning when she finished, and she yawned as she fell back on the bed, exhausted.

Rachel swallowed, making a split-second decision. "You know what, Quinn?" she asked the former cheerleader.

Quinn's head snapped up. She had talked so much that she hardly used any words at all. "What?"

"You need to loosen up a bit. Have a little fun; don't worry about all this social status and boy issues. Just let go," Rachel said.

The blonde was puzzled. "Rachel, get real," she said, annoyed. "I can't just 'have a little fun'. I know that someone who's as much of a loser as you might be able to go out and 'let loose', but I can't. I just can't."

Rachel ignored Quinn's 'loser' quip and smiled. "Yes, you can. That is why we're going away, for a whole week. I've already decided where; it'll be tons of fun, and you are going to enjoy yourself."

"Manhands, you don't tell me what to do," the blonde said bitterly. "I'm not going with you."

"Quinn, yes you _are_. You're so dang uptight all the time."

"But—"

Rachel shook her head. "No 'buts', Quinn. We're going, and that's that. Now call your mom, tell her where you'll be for the next week, and get some sleep. We leave at noon, so be ready."

Quinn sighed, knowing that it was useless arguing with the brunette. "Fine," she snapped. "But I have some questions."

"Shoot."

The blonde bit her lip. "Well, first of all, where are we going, and how long is the car trip? No offense but, I really do _not_ want to be stuck in the same car as you for longer than a few hours."

Rachel paused for a moment, thinking. Finally, she had her answer. "I'm not telling you where we're going. _But_, I will tell you that the car ride shouldn't be longer than a few hours. Now, did you have any other questions?"

"Yeah. Where'll we be staying?"

Almost immediately, the brunette answered. "We'll be staying in a hotel; probably a Marriott if I can find one. If not, it'll be a Hilton or Holiday Inn. I have to call and make reservations; I'll do that now, if you don't mind. Are you done now?"

Quinn nodded, and Rachel smiled. "Alrighty, then. You go call your mom, and then get some sleep. I'm going to make the hotel reservations, and we can leave later today."

With that, Rachel and Quinn each went their separate ways, one calling their mom and the other making the reservations. Luckily, there was room at a Marriott five miles from their destination, and Rachel didn't hesitate to reserve it for one week. When each girl was done, they got into the brunette's bed and fell asleep almost immediately. They were both excited for the next day, despite the fact that the blonde was particularly nervous.

Because of this excitement, both of the girls failed to realize that they were in bed, together, and it wasn't in the least bit awkward.

~.~

**So, how did you like it? I tried to make it as un-OOC as possible for both Rachel and Quinn, and yes, I know that it's slightly unlikely that the latter girl would just go with a random plan to leave for a week, let alone sleep in the same bed as the former. But, that's just the way the story goes. Anyway, the next chapter should be up soon, and it should definitely be much more exciting. Again, reviews are love!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Only The Good Die Young**

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Quinn, I don't own Rachel, I don't own their place of destination (if I did, that'd be very strange), I don't own the song that comes on the radio (which of course is the same song that this fic is named after), I don't own ANYTHING other than this plot.**

**Summary: Post-Comeback, Pre-BIOTA. AU starting at the latter episode. Quinn is down in the dumps about her break-up with Sam, and Rachel decides to take her for the week to have some fun. Of course, Quinn is still a pretty reserved Catholic, but with the help of Rachel, can she learn to open her mind—not only about loosening up and having fun—but also about her sexuality? Rated T because I feel it should be. Rating might go up to M in later chapters, but we'll see.**

**A/N: So I've been kinda busy with an English project (for Romeo and Juliet) and I didn't really have time to update until now; I'm sorry about that. I planned on updating earlier, like on Monday, but I ran out of time and then I left at midnight Thursday morning for a trip to Boston. I didn't get back until last night, and that was at like eleven. But anyway, I shouldn't be giving excuses. Actually, I plan to update this story quite frequently, since I pretty much already know how I want this to go, at least for the next several chapters.**

**Anyway, thanks you guys for the reviews! You really made my day. It's nice to know that you all are enjoying this story and don't think my writing is **_**completely**_** horrible. So, I don't really have anything else to say…enjoy the story and remember, reviews are love and also help me update faster ;)**

~.~

Quinn woke up later that morning to a ray of blinding sunlight coming through the window. At first, she didn't know where she was—until she rolled over on her other side and found herself staring at the wall, which had big foam letters that spelled out, 'Rachel'. Slowly the incidents of the night before came back to her and she let out an instinctive scream at the thought that she had practically told Rachel her life story. You know, that and the fact that she had been sleeping in her bed.

Almost immediately, Rachel came rushing from the bathroom. A white towel was the only thing covering her short frame and her hair was wet. It was evident that she had just gotten out of the shower, and a look of panic shown on her face. "What's going on? Quinn? Are you alright?"

The blonde briefly shook her head. "I don't really know…" she trailed off, and as soon as she spoke the words, Rachel was right beside her on the bed.

"Well then, tell me what's wrong," the brunette said. "Or rather, what you _think_ is wrong."

Quinn swallowed. "I just-I woke up here and-and I freaked out…and then I remembered everything from last night, and I freaked out again…"

Rachel looked slightly confused. "Why'd you freak out if you remembered everything?"

The former cheerleader sighed, and turned so she could bury her face back in the pillow beneath her. Her voice was barely audible as she spoke. "Because I remembered I told you everything about me, and I also remembered about falling asleep in your bed."

Obviously, although her voice was muffled, Rachel could still tell what Quinn was saying. "Oh, and don't forget that we're also going away for the week," the brunette added cheerily. A groan of remembrance came from the pillow, but she didn't even seem to notice as she patted the blonde's back. "Remember, we're leaving at twelve, so be ready. It's already ten-thirty."

With that, Rachel went to her drawers, retrieved her clothes, and instead of going back to her bathroom, she went down the hall to her fathers'. Quinn could barely hear as she called, "My bathroom's open now, so you can use that one! Towels are in the closet!"

Getting to her feet, the blonde walked into the bathroom, grabbed a blue towel from the closet, and turned on the water. She then discovered how normal yet weird it felt to strip in Rachel Berry's bathroom (don't ask how it was normal _and_ weird, it just was). When the water was finally warm enough, she stepped inside.

_I have a feeling that this is going to be a very long day_, Quinn thought as she let herself sink into the warm stream of water.

~.~

After a long forty-five minute shower (it would have been longer but the warm water was beginning to turn into freezing water), Quinn stepped out of the shower, newly refreshed. For the first time in a few days, she felt fully relaxed—that is, until she remembered that she was going to have to sit in a car with Manhands for God-knows-how-long.

Sighing, the blonde took the towel off of her body, twisted her hair up, and put the towel on her head. She didn't even think about getting another towel, since she did this so often at home. When she was finished, she went back into the bedroom to get dressed. All of a sudden, however, she remembered that she hadn't brought any clothes. At that same moment, she also realized that she was completely naked and in Rachel Berry's bedroom.

Just her luck, Rachel appeared right that moment with a bright pink duffel bag in hand. "Quinn, I—" she stopped when she saw that the blonde wasn't wearing anything, blushed, and turned away slightly. "Umm…not to be rude or anything, but why are you…"

Quinn also blushed and scrambled to cover herself with the towel on her head. "I'm-I'm sorry, it's just that-well, I do that at home and I sort of forgot that I can't exactly do it here…not covering up when I go from the bathroom to the bedroom after a shower, I mean."

Rachel nodded and, seeing that the blonde had covered herself up, looked back up to meet the embarrassed girl's hazel eyes. "It's alright; I was just sort of alarmed, since it's not every day that people are in my bedroom naked, let alone head cheerleader Quinn Fabray."

"So, umm, Manha-I mean, Rachel," Quinn said, trying her best to be nice because obviously she had already been something of a nuisance. "I-well, you see-the thing is…I kinda don't have any clothes."

Instinctively, Rachel handed her the duffel bag. "Well, my timing couldn't have been better. You know, other than…well anyway, your mother brought this over. I called her earlier today because I remembered that you didn't bring any clothes last night other than the white sundress you were wearing, and she just brought this by. She said it was your emergency duffel bag, and that all the stuff you normally keep in there, like…well, I'm not really sure because I didn't look, is in there as well as clothing that she added like sundresses, sweaters, skirts, shirts, and jeans. Also, she put in your hairbrush, blow-dryer, curling iron, shampoo and body wash, some books, and your cell phone and iPod in there. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot. She said it's your emergency duffel bag, so whatever else—"

She was cut off by Quinn's audible gasp. The blonde froze for a second, but when she recovered and finally took the bag, she exclaimed, "Oh dear God, please tell me you didn't look in there!"

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "No," she said slowly. "I don't normally look through people's bags because I think it's rude. But anyway, if I had, what's the big deal?"

Quinn shook her head quickly and falsely smiled. "What big deal? There's no big deal! Who said it was a big deal?"

The brunette blinked a few times and sucked in a breath. "Umm…anyway, it's already eleven fifteen. Just be ready by noon, alright? I'm going to go put together some snacks for the road, and we can either eat lunch here or stop on the way. Let me know soon." With that, she turned on her heel, shook her head, and walked away. She wondered what was so big of a deal about the duffel bag…was Quinn hiding something?

Back in the bedroom, Quinn sighed audibly and sat down in relief. _It's a good thing you didn't look,_ she thought, _Because if you had, this trip would have gotten extremely awkward._ With that one last thought, she pulled her blow-dryer and curling iron out of her bag and went into the bathroom to start getting ready.

~.~

Half an hour later, Quinn came down the steps to find Rachel sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine. Next to her were plastic bags full of what she suspected to be the snacks that the brunette had mentioned earlier, and underneath the wooden table was a red suitcase.

The blonde had settled for a ruffled yellow tank top, dark wash jeans, and a simple white hoodie just in case she got cold. Normally, she would have picked out a nice sundress, but she didn't really know how long they were gonna be in the car for and she didn't want to be in any way, shape, or form physically uncomfortable. It was this reason, and the fact that it was pretty much useless, that she decided not to curl her hair. Instead, she just left it straight and pinned her bangs back.

Hearing her come into the room, Rachel looked up and smiled. "Hey Quinn," she said happily. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, just let me use the bathroom first…oh and we're going to stop on the way, right? I'm kinda hungry but if we're going to do this, I want to do it as soon as possible before I change my mind."

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, we can stop wherever. I'll put the bags and stuff in the car." When Quinn walked away, she picked up the snacks and took them to the car. Then, when the blonde still wasn't out of the bathroom, she took their bags outside and, out of complete curiosity, began rifling through the other girl's duffel bag.

She didn't get halfway through it when she heard the door opening. Immediately, she zipped it back up, shoved it in the back, turned around, and put on the biggest, flashiest smile she could muster. "Hey, Quinn," she said quickly. "What's up? I was just putting the bags in the car so we can leave as soon as possible. I want to leave right this second, what do you think? Well, hop on in so we can stop wasting so much time!" With that, she turned around hastily and hopped in the front seat of the car.

Quinn stood there for a moment in complete shock, not really knowing what had just happened. She blinked a few times, recomposed herself, shook her head, and got in on the passenger side of the car.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Quinn spoke. "So, umm, Manha-Treasu-Hob-Rachel," she started, trying her best not to call the brunette a rude name. "What was that about back there? You were talking really fast and acting really weird."

Rachel gulped. "Well, umm…I am just so happy that we are going on this trip!"

The blonde scoffed. "Yeah, well, whatever. Don't think that just because I agreed to go on this stupid trip with you, I'm going to be Little Miss Sunshine and be completely nice to you all the time."

"That's fine, Quinn. Eventually, you will see that it's better not to be so uptight and rude, but obviously you're not quite there yet."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Whatever. And by the way, are you ever going to tell me where we're going?"

The brunette shook her head good-naturedly. "Nope. You'll have to figure that one out for yourself. And you can guess, but I'm not going to tell you if it's right or not. I'll probably just ignore you."

"So basically I have no way of knowing where we are until we're there?" the blonde asked, slightly exasperated.

Rachel smiled. "Well, either that or you'll know when we get in the area. Which you undoubtedly won't, since I know you haven't been where we're going."

Quinn immediately shot the diva a look. "How do you know that?"

The brunette shrugged. "Because you clearly stated once that you'd never been there yet you would love to go," she said simply. Then she quickly added, "Not that I really pay attention to these things. I just happened to remember it when I was deciding where we would head off to."

The other girl sighed. "Whatever. Look, can we just sit in silence for awhile? This trip is obviously going to be long enough and then I have to spend a week with _you_—no offense—and I really just need some time to process this."

Rachel nodded her head, although she was slightly disappointed that Quinn didn't want to talk anymore. Then, suddenly getting an idea, she turned on the radio. Immediately a new song came on and the brunette clapped her hands once she realized what the tune was.

"Oh my goodness, this is such a great song! Here, I'll turn it up." With that, Rachel reached for the knob and turned the volume up to almost full blast.

_Well, come out Virginia, don't let me wait_

_You Catholic girls start much too late, ah_

_But sooner or later it comes down to fate,_

_You might as well will be the one_

_Well they gave you a statue_

_Told you to pray_

_They built you a temple and locked you away_

_But they never told you the price that you'd pay_

_The things that you might have done_

_Darling, only the good die young_

_Come out, Virginia_

_Don't let me wait_

_You Catholic girls start much too late_

_Ah, but sooner or later_

_It comes down to fate_

_I might as well will be the one_

_Well, they showed you a statue-_

_Told you to pray_

_They built you a temple and locked you away_

_But they never told you the price it would pay_

_The things that you might have done…_

_Only the good die young._

_That's what I said!_

_Only the good die young._

_Only the good die young…_

As Rachel started on the second verse with Billy Joel, Quinn suddenly slammed her palms down on her thighs, reached over, and turned the radio off. The brunette turned to her with a confused and quite angry look.

"What are you doing? I was singing to that!"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but I specifically told you that I wanted peace and quiet. You singing is not exactly peace and quiet!"

Rachel looked down and softly said, "You said you wanted me to stop talking, so I did. I didn't know you meant radio, too…"

Quinn sighed and looked out the window. Of course, they hadn't even been in the car for fifteen minutes and she had already made the brunette sad. What was wrong with her? Why did she have to screw everything up? As the frazzled former cheerleader debated this question, she realized with a pang in her chest that this car ride, no matter how long it actually was, was going to be extremely long.

~.~

After an hour of driving through Ohio (it felt more like four to Quinn), they girls decided to stop for lunch. It was Rachel who brought it up, in an attempt to get the other girl talking. They had pretty much sat in silence since the whole radio incident, with the exception of Rachel pointing out landmarks and Quinn's quiet statement that she had full permission to go ahead and turn the radio back up. The brunette, giddy with anticipation of singing some more, turned the radio on and immediately began humming along with one of her favorites, 'Defying Gravity' from the _Wicked_ soundtrack. Quinn immediately regretted her decision, because while she secretly loved the song, she didn't really feel like hearing the other girl sing it. Despite how beautiful her voice was, it brought to the surface feelings that were better left buried in the blonde's seemingly (but not actually) cold heart.

When asked, Quinn answered that she wanted to stop at Wendy's (I mean, the other choices included McDonald's, which we all know is fattening and has pretty illegitimate chicken, Quizno's, which sucks, and a shady café on the side of the road, which sold seafood that contained God-knows-what). Rachel nodded her head, aware that Wendy's sold salads that were Vegan-friendly, and she sent the blonde in to find a booth while she parked the car.

Quinn entered the building, and immediately something told her to go back outside. Ignoring her instincts, she went and found a booth next to the window, and began to wait for Rachel. When she didn't come, however, the blonde slowly but surely walked back outside to look for her. What she saw scared her, but did not deter her.

The brunette was huddled up in a corner of the restaurant, three guys with leering faces surrounding her. She looked scared out of her otherwise defiant mind, and it appeared as if she didn't get help right then and _there_, something terrible would happen.

Now, I know what you're thinking: there were tons of people around, so she wasn't in any real danger, right? Wrong. The

Now, I know what you're thinking: there were tons of people around, so she wasn't in any real danger, right? Wrong. They were in the middle of nowhere, and hardly anybody was actually in the Wendy's, anyway. Immediately Quinn realized, after thoroughly looking around, that she would have to save the girl herself.

Mustering that courage that had always been inside of her, the blonde sauntered over to the group of _very_ drunk guys (yes, drunk at lunchtime, how sad), and tapped one of the shorter-looking ones on the shoulder. He immediately turned around, and a smirk spread across his face as he saw that his confronter was female. "Well, well, well, what have we here?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. She had encountered loads of creepy guys in her lifetime. "Let her go," she stated simply as the group erupted in laughter.

"No can do, darlin'," one of them said. "But if you want to join her, that's definitely not a problem. We can handle the two of you, am I right boys?" The others agreed cheerfully.

Sighing, the former cheerleader decided to try again. "I said, let my friend _go_." Almost as soon as the words came out of her mouth, she realized what she had said.

_Friend_.

She had said, 'let my _friend_ go'.

Fortunately, Rachel didn't seem to notice the little slip-up. Her eyes stayed shut tight, as if she didn't want to see it when she and the blonde went down. Quinn, however, was not fazed. She kept standing there, waiting for the men to leave. Once they realized that she was not giving up, they began to laugh.

"Hey guys, whadaya say we take them and get outa here?" the only one who had not talked at all suddenly spoke up. "Blondie here's not gonna leave, let alone be silent, so why don't we just figure out a way to shut them up ourselves?" The other two men's chortles were the only sounds penetrating the warm spring air.

At that last comment, Rachel's eyes flew open and found Quinn's. Her look said, 'help us here, I'm powerless!' and immediately the other girl knew what she had to do. She informed the brunette through facial expressions that she was going to do something drastic, and at that Rachel started giving her the most horrified look ever.

But…it was too late. Quinn's plan was already in motion, and everybody knew that when she set her mind on something, it happens. So, with an ultimate sultry look on her face, she sauntered over to the first guy, who was closest to the wall, and spoke. She was pretty surprised as to how sexy her voice sounded, and apparently so was Rachel, for her eyes widened in alarm and she began to struggle from the other two men's grasps.

"Hey, big guy," she drawled to the first guy. The blonde found her hand roaming up his pants leg, and when he gulped she continued. "So you want a go at my little friend over there, do ya?" The man, who looked to be about college age, nodded his head and raised his eyebrows in a very creepy manner. From a few feet away, Rachel began protesting. The two guys holding her back made a move to clamp their hands over her mouth, preventing any future sounds from escaping. When Quinn looked over at her, she could see that the poor girl was shedding tears and shaking her head in complete fear. The blonde looked her straight in the eye to tell her it would all be alright, and immediately turned her attention back to the man in front of her.

"So, whatcha say?"

The man smirked. "Hell yeah, I do," he said enthusiastically. "But I think I want you to be first."

Quinn was completely unfazed, while Rachel was near an emotional breakdown and most likely also could not breath, due to all the sniffling she was doing. The blonde matched the guy's smirk. "Alright, more fun for me."

At this point, the brunette was literally about to explode from the fear, but of course for some crazy reason the other girl kept her cool. On the outside, at least. Because when the man pushed her up against the brick wall and began to shower her with kisses, it was all she could do NOT to puke. But, she acted like she enjoyed it on the outside.

Then, without warning, she looked up at Rachel, who was now crying uncontrollably. She shot her a look that said, 'start kicking and screaming NOW' and prayed that her message would be delivered. Luckily, after a minute of extreme confusion it was, and Rachel started throwing what was equal to a two-year-old tantrum. Quinn's plan worked, and, as soon as the brunette began to cause a scene, the man turned to look, and she ungracefully lifted her right leg and kicked him…well, where the sun don't shine. He was down in a second, and the other two guys, being as inexperienced as they were, left Rachel to go to his aid.

Quinn ran over to the brunette, grabbed her hand, pulled her up, and then they were running. Out of there and into the restaurant. They were laughing, despite their former situation, and Rachel put her hand on Quinn's arm to steady herself. "Oh my goodness, the way you had him fooled!" she said ecstatically. Then she added, her voice quiet, "For a second there, I really thought you were gonna let him…you know."

The other girl broke out in giggles and shook her head. "No! How could you think such a thing, I'm not _that_ bad!"

Rachel shrugged, and, not knowing what else to say, walked over to the line to order. She turned back to Quinn. "Whatcha want?"

Quinn ordered a burger, fries, and a coke and went to go find a seat. Luckily, the same booth that she had had before was still open, so she slid in and began drumming her fingers on the table in slight boredom.

A few minutes later, Rachel found her and walked over, carrying the tray of their food. The brunette had ordered a simple, plain salad, and—after making sure there was no chicken or blue cheese inside—she slid into the other side of the booth and began eating. She motioned to Quinn's food and then pushed it towards her, trying to get her to eat.

But for some reason, Quinn refused. She looked as if she was debating something, and Rachel decided, so often as she did with the former cheerleader, that she was better left alone and would most likely speak when she felt the need to.

And as always, she did. When Rachel was about two-thirds of the way done with her salad, Quinn spoke. "Why aren't you upset?"

She said it both exasperatedly and curiously, and the brunette looked up from the piece of lettuce she was eating, put down her fork, and raised her eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Quinn?"

The blonde shrugged. "After all that earlier, when you were scared shitless, you're just completely and one hundred percent O.K.?"

When Rachel nodded, she sighed in frustration. "_How_ do you do that? I mean, and please don't take this as too big of an offense, but you've always been a drama queen. It just doesn't make much sense that you are so calm now."

Rachel had been chewing on that piece of lettuce, and so she swallowed it and quickly took a swig of her coke before responding. "Alright, so I'm pretty sure you're familiar with the phrase 'sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me'. Am I right?" When Quinn nodded, she continued. "Well, for me, it's more like 'sticks and stones will break my bones but words _will_ hurt me' or maybe 'sticks and stones will break my bones but words will break my confidence'. Basically, what I'm trying to say is, although it's not commonly perceived that way by society, I've always reacted more strongly to emotional lashes than physical ones. Meaning that, if one person punches me and the other tells me I'm a worthless Broadway freak, I'm more likely to that the latter one to offense."

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "OK," she said slowly. "But I still don't get why you didn't freak out afterwards."

The brunette sighed. "Because," she started. "I've always sort of reacted less strongly to physical threats."

"But you were scared out of your mind while it was happening."

"That's because I had virtually no idea how it was all going to end or what was going to happen. It's in human nature to react that way on instinct, but afterwards it no longer mattered. Because there was not a threat anymore, there was no reason to react. On the contrary, if they had insulted me, the jab would have stuck with me indefinitely."

The blonde considered this. "Alright, I suppose that makes sense…can I just ask you one thing?"

Rachel nodded. "Sure, but only if I get to ask you something back afterwards."

"Deal," Quinn said, overlooking the possibilities of what the other girl could ask. "Please don't get mad at me, but…say that those men…well, say they had actually gotten what they wanted. How much would it have mattered afterwards, when the 'threat' was gone? You still would have had to deal with something huge."

The brunette was silent for a moment while she considered the question. "Don't worry, I'm not mad. But yeah, I suppose I would be pretty upset. But that's different, because the effect _is_ long-term. What just happened out there was _not_ long-term. But if it was, yeah I'd be pretty upset about it all. Now can I ask my question?"

Quinn nodded. "I suppose."

"Alright. So do you remember when, earlier today, I came in to give you your bag?"

The blonde nodded again, afraid of what was to come.

"Well, I remember when I mentioned that the pink duffel bag was your emergency bag, you freaked out. Why is that? What exactly is in that bag?"

Immediately the other girl's eyes went wide. "Nothing, nothing at all is in that bag. You know, I think I'm full. You wanna go back to the car and keep driving? C'mon, let's go." She tried to pull the brunette up out of her seat, but she refused.

"No, I want to know! Whatever it is, it can't be _that_ bad," Rachel reasoned.

Quinn sighed and turned away. "Rachel," she started. "Believe me, you do _not_ want to know. And yes, it is a big deal. You don't know how big of a deal it is. This whole trip would become really awkward and I want nothing more than for it to be over with soon. So can we just go back to the car and keep driving? Please?"

After a moment of debating, Rachel stood up. "Sure," she said, speaking quietly. And so they walked back and got back in the car, Quinn thinking how glad she was that Rachel didn't find out her secret and Rachel thinking how she was going to find out Quinn's secret, whether she liked it, or not.

~.~

**Alright, so there ya go. So, what do you think Quinn's secret is, and where do you think the girls are going? I've already decided both of those things, but you can guess. If you get lucky, I might just tell you if you get it right. Anyway, please review! The faster you review, the quicker the next chapter will be out. See you all soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Only The Good Die Young**

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: Ugh. Don't own anything. Wish I did, but I don't.**

**Summary: Post-Comeback, Pre-BIOTA. AU starting at the latter episode. Quinn is down in the dumps about her break-up with Sam, and Rachel decides to take her for the week to have some fun. Of course, Quinn is still a pretty reserved Catholic, but with the help of Rachel, can she learn to open her mind—not only about loosening up and having fun—but also about her sexuality? Rated T because I feel it should be. Rating might go up to M in later chapters, but we'll see.**

**A/N: So I don't really know when I'll be able to update next, since I'm going to my grandparent's house soon and they don't have very good wireless connection there. They do have SOME, so I just might get enough time to write and I might be able to get some connection and update, but I make no promises.**

**Anyway, thanks you guys for the reviews, they mean SO much to me! Oh, and a special shout-out to FaberryOTP, who GUESSED CORRECTLY as to what is in Quinn's bag! Although I'm not going to tell you guys just yet what it is, I will say that it is not what you think it is and it's quite surprising as it makes Quinn's character pretty OOC and non-canon.**

**Keep up the reviews! :D**

~.~

Once they were back in the car, Rachel and Quinn went back to being relatively silent. While Rachel was planning ways to get inside Quinn's bag despite her persistence that she would find something she did not want to see, Quinn was planning ways to hide what was in the bag without having to dispose of it.

Finally, Rachel decided to speak up. By then she had had enough of the blonde's silence and unwillingness to just open up about the bag, and this showed in her irritated tone of voice. "I sincerely do not understand why you cannot tell me what is in that stupid duffel bag!"

Her sudden explosion startled Quinn, and she jumped slightly in her seat, instinctively flinching and leaning away. When she regained composure, she sat up, tucked a strand of flyaway hair behind her ear, and sighed. "Rachel, I already told you: You. Do. Not. Want. To know what's in that bag!"

The brunette threw her hands up in the air. "And how do you know that?"

"Because, I just know!"

"Quinn," Rachel started, holding inside her need to scream. "You might have apprehensions, but you'll never _truly_ know unless you just tell me! Besides, I think you're forgetting that I am constantly picked on in school, have two gay dads, and love singing along to music from musicals such as Spring Awakening and Wicked. I also am single because my boyfriend couldn't keep it in his pants, and wear clothes to school that most people do not like. Nothing you can say, and I do mean _nothing_, will faze me! What's so big that you have to keep it hidden?"

The blonde sighed. "Rachel, you do _not_ understand. This is something monumental, something that could, and would, completely change my reputation—for the worse. And I'm sorry if this insults you, but I cannot risk letting anybody, _especially_ the school freak, know about it!" _Especially since it concerns you_, she added mentally.

"I hope you know that I wouldn't tell anybody," Rachel said softly, looking down.

"And how do I know that?" The blonde shot back.

When the brunette looked back up, Quinn could see that she was genuinely upset. "It's called trust, Quinn."

"Trust? I've got no trust," the blonde said quietly.

"And why not?"

"Because," Quinn exclaimed like it was in plain sight. "Oh I don't know, let's see. I trusted Puck not to get me pregnant, and I got Beth. I trusted my parents to support me no matter what, and my father threw me out after he learned about my pregnancy. I trusted Sam to help turn my life around, and he left me for Santana, new HBIC of that hell-hole we call school. And let's not forget that I trusted Finn to fall for me again, and you interfered."

Rachel's laugh was bitter. "Is that what this is about? I hope you realize that Finn and I are _not_ getting back together. Not only does he have no desire to get back together, I think that he is most definitely _not_ what I need in my life right now."

All of a sudden, Quinn was in tears. Rachel pulled the car over and slid closer to her. "What's wrong?"

The blonde started sobbing harder. "God, I feel like such a bad person," she said miserably.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Why exactly?"

"Because, everybody with a brain knows that I was never truly happy with Finn, and I was just using him to get to the top!"

The brunette swallowed, and when she didn't respond, the girl next to her erupted in more fitful sobs. In an attempt to comfort the taller girl, she put her arm around her and patted her shoulder. "It's alright, Quinn."

"No, it's not alright!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

Rachel sighed. "Quinn, look at me," she ordered, and when the blonde looked up and wiped her tears away, she continued. "You, Miss Fabray, are the single most wonderful girl I have ever had the fortune to meet. You're smart, and-and funny, and you have the confidence to face those people at McKinley every day head-on. So don't ever for one single, solitary _second_ think that you are a horrible person. Got it?"

Quinn nodded. "Thanks Rachel. I'm sorry for calling you the school loser."

The brunette sighed and moved back to the driver's seat. Within a few seconds they were back on the road. "Yeah, well, I kinda am, so no need to worry about that."

Quinn chuckled lightly. "How do you do it?"

Rachel turned her head when they came to a light. "What?"

"_This_. This lift-your-spirits, carefree, you-don't-faze-me type of thing. I mean, we've only been driving for about an hour and a half, and we've only spent the last twelve hours together, and you've lifted my spirits at least three times."

"Oh, it's nothing," the brunette said with a wave of her hand. "It's really not that difficult. You learn, over time, to keep smiling. All those insults from people, yeah, they hurt. But I don't show it because that just encourages them. Besides, it's uplifting to act this way, for both other people and for you. You should try it sometime."

Quinn smiled, a real, genuine smile. "Y'know, I just might do that."

~.~

Tired over the day's troubles, Quinn soon fell asleep, something that Rachel was grateful for as she didn't particularly feel like talking. Instead, she simply drove, thinking about two things: a) what was in that darn bag, and b) how much she cared about Quinn and her well-being.

Of course, she got nowhere with what was in the bag, since it was obviously something huge that would most likely change her views of the blonde, and she honestly could not think of anything _that_ huge. So, she focused on the second thing.

Honestly, if anybody _actually_ paid attention to her, they would be able to tell that Rachel spent whole class periods staring at Quinn, wishing that she would like her. They would also be able to tell that the school diva had probably the biggest crush on her there was.

But of course, none of that mattered. The only thing that truly mattered was Quinn's utmost happiness, and Rachel knew that to get to the next level with her, she needed to show her how to have fun. That being said, she was _not_ using her—she was merely trying to make the blonde happy and, if time and everything else permitted, she would go from there.

So the whole thing was like a plan to make Quinn happy, with a _possible_, but not _likely_ side addition of, well, romance.

Sighing, the brunette turned to look at the sleeping figure on the seat next to her. She looked so peaceful, and happy, too. Rachel turned back to the road, hoping that everything would work out by the end of the trip, and sighed again.

_If only you knew just how much I cared_, she thought.

~.~

"Quinn, wake up, we're almost there!"

The excited words and surprisingly soft hands on her shoulders woke the sleeping blonde. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she glanced around, confused.

"Hey Rach, not to be like, rude or anything, but I don't see anything of the utmost excitement," she stated flatly.

Rachel laughed. "Oh trust me, you'll soon retract that statement. Oh and I almost forgot, we're also travelling down to Pennsylvania in a few days."

Quinn was confused. "Pennsylvania? Where are we now?"

"Oh, we're in New York," the brunette said cheerfully.

The former cheerleader sat up straighter and blinked, noticing for the first time that it was kind of dark out. "New York? What time is it?"

Rachel giggled. "It's almost nine, silly! You fell asleep for like, seven hours!"

"And you didn't think to wake me up? Do you realize now that I'm probably not going to sleep until really early in the morning?"

The brunette shrugged. "Eh, you looked peaceful. You also looked like you were dreaming, and I didn't want to wake you since it definitely looked like a pleasant dream."

Just then, the contents of Quinn's dream came back to her. She blushed and looked away. "Yeah," she said softly. "It was."

In the dream, she and Rachel had been holding hands and running through a field. They stopped and began rolling around in the grass, laughing. Rachel had rolled on top of her, and it was just as they passionately kissed that her dream had been interrupted.

The brunette nodded. "Anyway, I'm sorry for not waking you up. But on the bright side, at least you're rested!"

Quinn licked her lips. "Yeah, I suppose so," she said, still in a daze from her dream.

"So, umm, how long until we get there?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

Rachel checked the car clock. "Hmm, I suppose probably about fifteen minutes. Well, until we get to the hotel. But you'll be able to tell where we are because, well, it's pretty self-explanatory."

"Sounds good."

For the next fifteen minutes, the two girls chatted a little bit about nothing in particular. When Rachel was in the middle of a story, Quinn suddenly gasped as she looked out the window.

"Oh my goodness, Rachel, are we were I think we are?"

Rachel smiled slyly. "If the place that you're thinking is New York City, then you are most certainly correct."

The blonde's excitement was palpable. "New York City? I've always wanted to visit! Are we staying close to the city?"

The brunette nodded. "Yeah, we're staying at a Marriott. It's the only hotel that had an empty room for the week."

Quinn smiled. "Oh yeah, and you said we're going down to Pennsylvania one day, what for?"

"Hershey Park," she stated bluntly, satisfied with Quinn's reaction.

The blonde's grin spread. "Hershey Park? But how?"

Rachel took a deep breath. "Well," she started. "My dads got me two tickets way back at Christmastime, figuring that I could take Finn…I hadn't told them yet that we broke up, since I don't think I was necessarily ready to admit it even to myself, so I took the tickets. I figured that we could use the tickets on this trip, so we are. Y'know, unless you don't want to, then we can just figure out something else to do that day."

Quinn shook her head. "No, no, I want to go, I've always wanted to!"

The brunette smiled. "Alright then, it's settled."

A few minutes later, they arrived at the hotel. After checking in and putting their stuff in the room, the two girls decided to go out to dinner. Quinn checked the hotel's recommendations while Rachel began searching the hotel room.

Curious as to what she was doing, the blonde put down the list and turned to her with a raised eyebrow. As she frantically hunted the room, Quinn chuckled. "What in the _world_ are you doing?"

Rachel sighed, exasperated. "It's something I do to every hotel room, Quinn," she explained. "I do a thorough check to make sure that nothing is out of place and people have not left, well, _these_ types of things here." She held up a condom wrapper, one that was from a generic brand.

Quinn looked at it with disgust. "Eww Rachel, put that thing down! That's gross! Where'd you find it, anyway?"

The brunette shrugged as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Behind the bed. You gotta learn to look _everywhere_, Quinn."

The former cheerleader shuddered. "Well, whichever bed you found it behind, I am _not_ sleeping there."

Rachel laughed lightly, holding up a second condom wrapper. "Too late for that, both beds have them."

Ignoring the grossness of it all, Quinn looked back at the list. She turned back to Rachel, getting an idea.

"None of these other places sound very good. How 'bout Sbarro's Pizza?"

~.~

"Oh, no, Quinn!"

Rachel exclaimed this when they were halfway to Sbarro's. They were sitting side by side in the back of a cab, and she shook her head at the girl sitting next to her.

They had decided to leave their car where it was, since parking spaces were limited and they had a great one, and take a cab. The only time they would use the car would be when they went down to Hershey Park, which was later in the week anyway.

Quinn raised an eyebrow at the clearly upset brunette. "What's the matter?"

Rachel turned to her, an 'it's obvious' look on her face. "Quinn," she started. "We are on our way to SBARRO'S, a PIZZA PLACE that serves PIZZA which has CHEESE on it. And if you don't remember, I'm Vegan!"

The blonde bit her lip. "Oh yeah, I sort of forgot that little detail. I mean, we can go someplace else…"

Rachel shook her head. "No, we aren't going to do that to the poor cab driver. I'll find something there."

When they arrived, Quinn shoved Rachel down in a booth and went up to order. Forgetting yet again that the brunette was Vegan, she ordered three slices of cheese pizza.

When she sat down across from Rachel, the other girl shot her a look of pure fury. "Quinn!"

"What now?" the blonde asked, a mouthful of pizza making her hard to understand.

This time, Rachel waited for her to figure it out herself. After a few moments of glancing between the pizza and the girl across from her, Quinn finally got it. "Ooooh…God Rach, I'm sorry…I really am, I sincerely forgot."

Rachel sighed. "It's alright. But we can't afford to waste money. I suppose I'll have to eat one of the pieces."

Quinn bit her lip, and then spoke. "No, don't do that, I can eat it."

The brunette shook her head. "I couldn't ask that of you. I mean, what's so bad about cheese?" With that, she picked up the piece of pizza, eyed it apprehensively, swallowed, and then tentatively took a bite. Quinn watched patiently as she chewed and swallowed. "Oh my goodness, this is sooo good!" With that, she proceeded to eat the whole piece.

And that was how Rachel Berry went from Vegan to Vegetarian.

~.~

"Are you sure, Quinn?"

The blonde nodded as they stepped inside their hotel room at nearly ten. After eating at Sbarro's, they had decided to walk around a little bit, taking in the New York City streets.

Putting her purse on the counter, Quinn said, "I don't necessarily like the bed closest to the door, since it sort of freaks me out, but if you really want the window bed, take it."

Rachel shrugged and put her things on the bed. She then went to the bathroom and changed into a tank top and flannel pajama pants, while Quinn changed out in the bedroom. They had gotten a suite, so there was a kitchen/living room, and bathroom/hallway, and a bedroom.

When the brunette came back, she turned off the lights and got into the covers. A few seconds later she said, "Wait a second. Did you give this one to me because it's the condom bed?"

Quinn's giggles could be heard in the silence. "Yes," she admitted in an amused voice.

For a moment, Rachel was planning ways to get the blonde back, until she realized something. "Hey, I hope you realize that I found condom wrappers behind _both_ beds, remember?"

Quinn was silent for a moment, and then she muttered a quick, "Damn," and despite her car nap, fell asleep almost immediately after.

~.~

"Rachel, wake up," Quinn whispered, nudging the sleeping brunette as hard as she could without pushing her off the bed.

The other girl squirmed, mumbled something, and then slowly came to. "Quinn? What time is it?" she asked, and then sitting up in an excited frenzy, added, "Is it time to go sightseeing?"

Quinn chuckled and shook her head. "Nooot quite. It's two in the morning."

"Two in the morning?" Rachel asked, confused. "Why'd you wake me up? I was having a Broadway dream!"

The blonde rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Well, you see, I-uh, I sort of had a nightmare," she admitted quietly.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Oh," she said abruptly. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Quinn shook her head. "No, not really," she said quietly. "But, umm, I was sort of wondering…and please don't laugh at me for this, but…well, I was sort of wondering if I could sleep with you. Y'know, not _that_ kind of sleep, but sleep in the same bed as you."

The brunette giggled and before the other girl could protest, she pulled her down next to her. "Of course, Quinn. Make yourself comfortable."

And so she did. And as the two girls fell asleep, unintentionally spooning, Rachel's arm draped over Quinn's torso, neither of them realized that this was the second night in a row that they had done this, and it had yet to be awkward at all.

~.~

**So, whatcha guys think? Next chapter, they'll head out. Oh, and you guys will figure out what's in the bag soon enough…maybe. Hehe, just kidding, it'll probably be in one of the next few chapters.**

**As for the condom wrapper thing, I got the whole idea from my good friend Fiona, who does the same thing. I actually went on a trip to Boston with a few of my friends, and I roomed with her and one of my other friends. While my other friend was taking a shower, she went around the hotel room looking for anything out of place, and she found a couch bed that was sunken in in the middle (you know what that means), a condom wrapper behind one of the beds, and tons of fingerprints on the headboard. Well, actually there weren't any fingerprints, I just made that up for extra effect :D**

**Review, review, review, please!**


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